Year 9 Science standard elaborations

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Purpose

The standards elaborations (SEs) support teachers to connect curriculum to evidence in assessment so that students are assessed on what they have had the opportunity to learn. The SEs can be used to:

• make consistent and comparable judgments, on a five-point scale, about the evidence of learning in a folio of student work across a year/band

• develop task-specific standards (or marking guides) for individual assessment tasks

• quality assure planning documents to ensure coverage of the achievement standard across a year/band.

Structure

The SEs have been developed using the Australian Curriculum achievement standard. The achievement standard for Science describes what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of each year. Teachers use the SEs during and at the end of a teaching period to make on-balance judgments about the qualities in student work that demonstrate the depth and breadth of their learning.

In Queensland, the achievement standard represents the C standard — a sound level of knowledge and understanding of the content, and application of skills. The SEs are presented in a matrix where the discernible differences and/or degrees of quality between each performance level are

highlighted. Teachers match these discernible differences and/or degrees of quality to characteristics of student work to make judgments across a five- point scale.

Year 9 standard elaborations —

Australian Curriculum v9.0: Science

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Year 9 Australian Curriculum: Science achievement standard

By the end of Year 9 students explain how body systems provide a coordinated response to stimuli. They describe how the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of the species. They explain how interactions within and between Earth’s spheres affect the carbon cycle. They analyse energy conservation in simple systems and apply wave and particle models to describe energy transfer. They explain observable chemical processes in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic rearrangement and mass. Students explain the role of publication and peer review in the development of scientific knowledge and explain the relationship between science, technologies and engineering. They analyse the different ways in which science and society are interconnected.

Students plan and conduct safe, reproducible investigations to test or identify relationships and models. They describe how they have addressed any ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data. They select and use equipment to generate and record replicable data with precision. They select and construct appropriate representations to organise, process and summarise data and information. They analyse and connect data and information to identify and explain patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies. They analyse the impact of assumptions and sources of error in methods and evaluate the validity of conclusions and claims. They construct logical arguments based on evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims. They select and use content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose when communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to specific audiences.

Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 Science for Foundation–10 https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/science/year-9

Year 9 Science standard elaborations

A B C D E

The folio of student work contains evidence of the following:

Science understanding Biological sciences

thorough explanation of how body systems provide a coordinated response to stimuli

detailed explanation of how body systems provide a coordinated response to stimuli

explanation of how body systems provide a coordinated response to stimuli

description of body systems that provide a coordinated response to stimuli

identification of a body system’s coordinated response to stimuli

thorough description of how the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of the species

detailed description of how the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of the species

description of how the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction enable survival of the species

description of how the processes of sexual or asexual reproduction enable survival of the species

description of how reproduction enables survival of the species

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A B C D E

Earth and space sciences reasoned explanation of how interactions within and between Earth’s spheres affect the carbon cycle

informed explanation of how interactions within and between Earth’s spheres affect the carbon cycle

explanation of how interactions within and between Earth’s spheres affect the carbon cycle

partial explanation of how interactions within and between Earth’s spheres affect the carbon cycle

description of the carbon cycle

Physical sciences

• thorough analysis of energy conservation in simple systems

• thorough description of energy transfer through application of wave and particle models

• detailed analysis of energy conservation in simple systems

• detailed description of energy transfer through application of wave and particle models

• analysis of energy conservation in simple systems

• description of energy transfer through application of wave and particle models

• partial analysis of energy conservation in simple systems

• description of energy transfer through application of wave or particle models

• description of energy conservation

• identification of energy transfer

Chemical sciences

thorough explanation of observable chemical processes in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic

rearrangement and mass

detailed explanation of observable chemical processes in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic

explanation of observable chemical processes in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic

description of observable chemical processes in terms of changes in atomic structure, atomic

description of observable chemical processes

Science as a human endeavour Nature and development of science

• considered explanation of the role of publication and peer review in the development of scientific knowledge

• considered explanation of the relationship between science, technologies and engineering

• informed explanation of the role of publication and peer review in the development of scientific knowledge

• informed explanation of the relationship between science, technologies and engineering

• explanation of the role of publication and peer review in the

development of scientific knowledge

• explanation of the relationship between science, technologies and engineering

• description of the role of publication and peer review in science

• description of the relationship between science, technologies and engineering

• statement/s about publication and peer review

• statement/s about science, technologies or engineering

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A B C D E

Use and influence of science

thorough analysis of the different ways in which science and society are interconnected

detailed analysis of the different ways in which science and society are interconnected

analysis of the different ways in which science and society are interconnected

description of ways in which science and society are interconnected

identification of ways in which science and society are interconnected

Science inquiry Questioning and predicting purposeful planning of investigations to test or identify relationships and models

plausible planning of investigations to test or identify relationships and models

planning of investigations to test or identify

relationships and models

relationships and models, with guidance

relationships and models, with direction

Planning and conducting

thorough planning and conducting of safe, reproducible investigations

detailed planning and conducting of safe, reproducible investigations

planning and conducting of safe, reproducible

investigations

planning and conducting of

safe investigations conducting of safe investigations

considered description of how they have addressed any ethical and

intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data

informed description of how they have addressed any ethical and

intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data

description of how they have addressed any ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data

description of ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data

identification of ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data

selection and use of equipment for the

purposeful generation and recording of replicable data with precision

selection and use of equipment for the effective generation and recording of replicable data with precision

selection and use of equipment for the generation and recording of replicable data with precision

selection and use of equipment for the generation and recording of replicable data

use of equipment for the generation and recording of data

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A B C D E

Processing, modelling and analysing

selection and purposeful construction of appropriate representations to

organise, process and summarise data and information

selection and effective construction of appropriate representations to

organise, process and summarise data and information

selection and construction of appropriate

representations to organise, process and summarise data and information

construction of representations to organise, process and summarise data and information

construction of representations to organise data and information

thorough analysis and connection of data and information to:

• identify patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies

• explain patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies

detailed analysis and connection of data and information to:

analysis and connection of data and information to:

analysis and connection of data and information to identify patterns, trends, relationships or anomalies

connection of data and information to identify patterns, trends,

relationships or anomalies

Evaluating

• considered analysis of the impact of

assumptions and sources of error in methods

• considered evaluation of the validity of

conclusions and claims

• purposeful construction of logical arguments based on evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims

• informed analysis of the impact of assumptions and sources of error in methods

• informed evaluation of the validity of

conclusions and claims

• informed construction of logical arguments based on evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims

• analysis of the impact of assumptions and sources of error in methods

• evaluation of the validity of conclusions and claims

• construction of logical arguments based on evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims

• description of the impact of assumptions and sources of error in methods

• partial evaluation of the validity of conclusions and claims

• construction of arguments based on evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims

• identification of errors or assumptions in methods

• description of the validity of conclusions and claims

• construction of arguments to support conclusions and evaluate claims

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A B C D E

Communicating

selection and use of content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose for considered communication of their ideas, findings and arguments to specific audiences.

selection and use of content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose for informed communication of their ideas, findings and arguments to specific audiences.

selection and use of content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose when communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to specific audiences.

selection and use of content, language and text features to achieve their purpose when

communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to audiences.

use of content, language or text features when communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to audiences.

Key shading emphasises the qualities that discriminate between the A–E descriptors

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